1 weekend. 3 perfect restaurants.

I will blog more. And I will blog about things I used to like Discovering T.O. and restaurants.

Starting with a weekend I referenced in a recent post that I spent with my buddy K.E.S.P. I grew up in TO, she had spent some time living there, but we decided to do TO Sugar & Gravy's way. Of course that means that there was a lot of time spent eating at fave restos. They were:

#1: Dinner at Banjara
My GF K. and I ate at Banjara all the time when we lived at Yonge & Eg. It is excellent Indian food, but the best part of Banjara - for me - is the combo option. I'm used to getting the veggie combo because K. is vegetarian, and it's definitely the highest value option. For $10.99 before tax you get your choice of any veggie dish and then the combo includes: rice, naan, daal curry, aloo gobi, veggie pakora, and rice pudding! So much food, such a good price, so much deliciousness.

#2: Brunch at Fresh
You can find decent Indian in Waterloo, but you can't find anything like Fresh. KW people would freak if Fresh came here and I wish it would. But I make a point of going there in TO whenever I can. The brunch at Fresh is so awesome! I always get the full breakfast, which is basically a vegetarian (maybe even vegan) version of a classic diner breakfast: scrambled tofu with spinach (instead of eggs), baked beans, home fries, toast, and a choice of vegan sausage or tempeh bacon. Make sure you get their homemade hot sauce. Yum!

#3: Burger's Priest
This is where you go for a burger in TO. It's expensive, but it's perfection. I hear the veggie option (literally called "The Option") is great, but I've never had it. I usually have the blue cheeseburger and fries. The burger is just so simple, classic, and delicious. I love places with quirks and Burger's Priest's quirk is its Secret Menu. You have to answer a skill testing question to access it online. I recommend the Blue Steel. Shhh, it's a secret.

Discovering T.O. #11: TSO, Roncy & Free Times Cafe

Is it still "Discovering T.O." now that I've been back here for a year?!  I argue that it is, because my mom has lived in Toronto for 30+ years now and is still discovering the city.  That's the fun thing about living in a big city: there's always something new to see, a new neighbourhood to explore, a new restaurant to try out, etc.  I've had a lot of those experiences since my last "Discovering T.O." post, but I'd like to share a few I had this weekend to begin with...

It's been a busy weekend!  One of those weekends where you don't have too much downtime, but that can be a good thing now and again.  Friday night I went and saw the Toronto Symphony Orchestra perform at Roy Thomson Hall.  I went with my girlfriend K. and two friends from high school.  Kate's an opera singer, Rachel's a cellist, and Justine and I are former musicians (clarinet and cello, respectively), so all of us have an appreciation for classical music and symphonies.  The main event at the TSO that night was Carmina Burana.  You might ask yourself, "What's Carmina Burana?"  You might be surprised to know that you know it!  Or at least, I think you do...  Check it out:



In a word, it was fantastic!!!  The TSO and accompanying Toronto Mendelssohn Choir were stunning, the music was engaging, and the company was wonderful.  I cherish the opportunities I have to experience arts and culture in the city.  Nights like Friday always make me want to get out more!

Saturday (yesterday) was a bit of a crazy day.  It was rainy, K. and I were in funky moods, and the energy of the day was just generally not great.  Then we went to a Body Combat class at the gym and the endorphins rushing through us gave us a second wind.  We had a delicious lunch at Fresh (there's now one in our neighbourhood!!!  And right next to the gym!) and felt happier, so we went shopping for Halloween costumes (we were going to a party that night).  Then we weren't having a lot of success at that, so our moods went sour again.  Ugh!  We got home, relaxed, I had a nap, and then we were feeling pretty good again, so we tried at successful Halloween costumes once again and... SUCCESS!!!  I was a lumberjack (easy enough!) and Kate was our cat Spoon!!!  Haha!

So off we went to the beautiful Roncesvalles neighbourhood in Toronto, where our friend Larissa now lives (and a lot of other friends, for that matter).  Larissa & Co. ran quite the party!!!  Orange-y lighting, cobwebs everywhere, jars filled with brains (cauliflowers), a candy bar, and more!!!  It was a blast; great music, lots of friends, and great costumes!  My favourite was a guy who dressed as Zack Galifianakis with two ferns on his shoulders, as in "Between Two Ferns with Zack Galifianakis".  BRILLIANT.  It was a great night!

And then today - Sunday - we woke up, relaxed a wee bit, and then headed to College & Spadina area for a brunch with friends, including our friend Josh who hosted us in St. John's, Newfoundland, where he lives, but he was home for a visit.  Josh made us a reservation somewhere I'd never been, called Free Times Cafe.  He said he was tempted by the Jewish brunch buffet, and I thought, that sounds amazing!  It was!  The place was busy, yet comfortable, and had excellent service.  We got a table in the backroom where the stage was, and the band today played Klezmer music, which was excellent and put everyone in such a great mood.  And then there was the food..... YUM!  Lox, potato latkes, challah french toast, salmon patties, gelfilte fish, salads galore... mmmm.  The company was excellent, the food was delicious, the vibe was great... another great Toronto experience.

And now I'm home doing laundry, enjoying some downtime and the sounds of K. practicing in the background... no complaints!

My trip to Newfoundland

I recently spent 10 days (June 7-16) in the only province I hadn't yet been (through/) to: Newfoundland!  I haven't visited Labrador, but I gather neither has most of Newfoundland, so I feel okay about that.  (To be clear, I haven't been to any of the territories, and I haven't spent great amounts of time in Manitoba or Saskatchewan, but I've stayed a night in Brandon, Manitoba, and I've driven through Saskatchewan).

But I digress.....

As per usual, I feel it's most useful to break this post up into 10 categories, rather than share every detailed moment.  It won't be short, but hopefully it's still a good read!

Without further ado.....

My trip to Newfoundand


#1: The Conference
This was why I was in St. John's in the first place.  A professional organization I belong to holds an annual national conference and I applied to present at it this year.  My proposal was approved in January, and so began hours of work over the course of many months in order to prepare my 90-minute presentation.

It was one of the most academic things I've done in recent memory.  I convocated from my undergrad nearly 3 years ago, and I can't remember working so diligently on something indirectly related to my job since then.  It was a great thing to sink my teeth into, I prepared extensively, and on Friday June 7, off I went to St. John's, Newfoundland.

Bags are packed and ready to go.

Our first view of "The Rock" from the plane.

The conference began on June 8 and it was excellent!  The concurrent/professional development sessions they offered were so-so, but the keynote speakers were phenomenal; not always relevant to my work, per se, but fascinating and inspiring.  One of the coolest things about the speakers was the ease with which they moved from English to French.  The professional org. is bilingual, and I felt the speakers were so wonderful and graceful about accommodating for this.  As always, it made me wish I could speak French.  Maybe one day...

My presentation was on the final day, Monday June 10.  It could not have gone better!  The room was full, people were engaged and asked meaningful questions, I felt really good about my "performance", if you will, and the feedback I've received since has been very positive.  I'm really proud, and it was a great experience, personally and professionally.


#2: Rally in the Alley
Another great part of the conference was how well-organized it was.  This fact culminated on the final night (June 10) with the "Rally in the Alley".

There were a few social events on the other two evenings of the conference, which I attended, but I didn't go all out being that my presentation was on the last day.  On top of that, an old colleague of mine - T. - was at the conference and we spent a lot of time 1-on-1 together, which I preferred anyway.  Imagine that!  (For the record, I still made lots of great connections with people.)

Anyway, the last night I had the freedom to go all out, and I'm glad I saved it until then.  The Rally in the Alley was basically a concentrated St. John's experience.  The delegates at the conference were split into 3 groups with associated colours (mine was red!), and with a different musician leading each group (snare drum, bagpipes, and ours - bass drum).

Some of the "Rally in the Alley" musicians.

All of us were first led to Club One where we were treated to fish and chips (a.k.a. "fi' n' chi'") and live music.  I gather Club One doesn't usually serve food, but it was rented out for this purpose.

Next we went off with our groups to one of three locations.  Our group started at a pub - can't remember what it was called - where we watched three young women do traditional Irish line dancing.  They were great!

Next we followed the bass drum to a place called Rob Roy to get screeched in.  From my understanding there are only two places to get screeched in in St. John's, and I don't think Rob Roy is usually one of them, but again, for our group some special arrangements were made.

Anyway, for those who don't know, getting screeched in makes you an honorary Newfoundlander.  To do so, you have to repeat a phrase ("Indeed I is, me old cock, and long may your big jib draw!"), kiss a frozen cod, and then take a shot of screech (sort of a rum-like liquor).  I was determined to do this during my trip, and it was a hoot!

Me kissing the cod!

After getting screeched in, it was on to the last destination: another pub I don't remember the name of where we got to sing traditional Newfoundland songs.  I think that was my favourite of the three.  I love Newfoundland/east coast/Irish music, and it was a blast!

From there it was back to Club One where the tables were out of the way, a band was on stage, and the dancing began.  What a great night!


#3: Sightseeing in St. John's
I spent 5 full days and 4 half-days in St. John's, 3 full days of which were the conference.  Not a tonne of time and there's so much to see, but I made a concerted effort to see as much as I could, and I think I did pretty well.  For the record, it's beautiful!

On my first full-day there, Saturday June 8, I went to the St. John's farmers' market with my girlfriend K., our friend Lauren who I stayed with for part of my trip, and K's fabulous new friend, Erin.  The farmers' market was delightful and charming; it was basically a crowded portable, full of food, artisans, and other vendors.  We browsed, and then I got some delicious food, which I enjoyed with K. and friends outside in the sunshine, with a drum circle playing nearby.  A fantastic start to the trip!

Inside the "portable".

That same evening was the opening reception for the conference, held at The Rooms, a museum in St. John's I had heard so much about.  The exhibits were open, though I wasn't able to check all of them out, but I did take the view in, which was excellent!  It's definitely worth checking out; a gorgeous view of downtown, the harbour, and St. John's in general.

View of St. John's harbour from The Rooms.

On Tuesday June 11, my first day in St. John's after the conference was over, I was lucky enough to have my buddy T. with me for the day, and we set out to see the two things you really can't miss when in St. John's.

We struck a deal via the Delta Hotel with a cab driver who would drive us to Cape Spear, wait for 20 minutes while we looked around and took photos, and then drive us to the top of Signal Hill; all for a reasonable cost, we were assured by the staff at the Delta.

So off we went with Rick to Cape Spear, learning history along the way.  Cape Spear is the eastern most point in all of North America, which I think is really cool.  The weather wasn't bad, and we were dressed appropriately, so we enjoyed ourselves, taking photos and spending some time absorbing the fact of where we were in the world.

Me at North America's most eastern point.

From there, Rick drove us to the top of Signal Hill.  We climbed up Cabot Tower, learning about Marconi (who sent the first transatlantic wireless signal from Cabot Tower), and then taking in the fantastic view of the city.  It was really nice climbing back down the hill, too; a good (downhill!) walk with great views, and finishing with Mile Zero, where Canadian hero Terry Fox began his run across Canada.  That was quite touching actually, and amazing to think he dipped his foot in the water right there.

Cabot Tower.

View of St. John's from Signal Hill.

Terry Fox Memorial.

The last St. John's sightseeing highlight was on my last full day in the city - Saturday June 15 - when I went on a fantastic 90-minute walk with my friend Josh, Lauren's husband.  Josh and Lauren have been living in St. John's for a few years now, and they own a beautiful house on Garrison Hill.  Josh knows so much about the city and its history and I really loved seeing the beautiful houses outside of the downtown area, and learning about how they came to be designed as they were, etc.

Here's something I haven't yet mentioned about St. J's assuming you don't know this already: it's got some hills (understatement of the year).  If you're spending time downtown, you're gonna have to climb a hill to get home.  If you're staying with friends on Garrison Hill, that's a pretty intense hill to climb at least once daily.  And if you go on a walk with Josh, you may just turn red in the face while climbing some intense stairs followed by some intense hills.

Honestly though, it was amazing.  Beautiful sights, amazing insights and history from Josh, and a lovely time spent with him!


#4: Food!!!
More sightseeing and cultural experiences - and my favourite part of travel - happened by eating the food of St. John's and Newfoundland.

The first place I grabbed a bite was at Rocket Bakery & Fresh Food, which T. had seen on "You Gotta Eat Here" and K. had already been frequenting herself.  I ended up going there three times throughout the trip.  It's an excellent spot for coffee, a bite (I recommend the sausage roll), or some yummy baked goods.

Rocket Bakery.

On July 11 before we hit up Cape Spear and Signal Hill, T. and I had breakfast at the Bagel Cafe.  A perfect and delicious way to start the day.  I had the Cape Spear touton, which is a traditional Newfoundland dish, and is basically a deep-fried pancake.  The Cape Spear touton came topped with a fish cake and a fried egg.  Yum!

Toutons: mine is the one on the bottom, the Cape Spear.

The same day, after our journey down Signal Hill, we ended up at the Duke of Duckworth for a late lunch.  We had tried to eat at the D of D on our first night, but learned the tough lesson that restaurants and pubs don't serve food very late in St. J's.  As one of my new friends from the conference put it: "If you're in a pub past 8 o'clock in St. John's and you're not drinking, you have no business being there.  On my first night in town this realization resulted in a bout of hanger, a.k.a. anger as a result of being hungry.

But we got our second shot at the Duke of Duckworth on June 11, which I was glad for because I was told they had the best fish and chips (a.k.a. fi' n' chi') in town.  I felt I could probably tell since I'd already had fi' n' chi' twice at that point, and the Duke of Duckworth's fish and chips were by far the best I had in St. J's... and maybe ever (though nothing beats Penrose).  In Newfoundland, you can have your fi' n' chi' with d' n' g', a.k.a. dressing and gravy.  Delicious, and I highly recommend it.

St. John's best fi' n' chi'.

I should also mention Quidi Vidi beer, made in the Quidi Vidi brewery in St. J's.  I tried three of their brews but my favourite was Iceberg, made from the water of 25,000 year old icebergs.  Seriously.  It's excellent: cold, crisp, and refreshing.  Great for those who enjoy beers like Corona or Mill Street Organic; light and smooth.

That day was full of yummy food.  We capped it off with a big treat to ourselves of dinner at Bacalao; fancy, expensive, and totally worth it.  It's nouvelle Newfoundland food, with great service and atmosphere.  I had two glasses of wine, an outrageously delicious seafood chowder (huge chunks of mussels, scallops, and more!), moose bolognese, and a little cookie sampler for dessert with coffee.  It was decadent, rich, indulgent, and worth every penny.  Thank you to our server Tracy for making it extra special.

**This meal was too special to take photos.

On one of my days away I went to the Bonavista Social Club in Upper Amherst Cove, about 40 minutes away from Port Rexton (more on that shortly).  It had come very highly recommended by a lot of people, so I made the special trip to visit.  It was charming; in the middle of nowhere, with a fenced in area for their goats right outside the restaurant.  It also had a great view of the water!  They had a wood-burning oven and it was so cozy and lovely inside.  I had a pizza, preceded by an incredible parsnip soup.  Yum!  Well worth the trip!

If you look closely you can see goats in a fenced-in area.

On my last full day (June 15) I ate with K. at The Sprout, St. J's vegan/vegetarian restaurant.  I had the pad Thai and it was pretty darn good.  Definitely good value.

Aside from Rocket's delicious coffee, I also visited two other awesome cafes: Fixed and Post.  I spent a couple hours at Fixed in the morning before my 48-hour solo trip, and the coffee and service was delicious.  I visited Post twice and they have the most excellent espresso.  It's owned by a guy in his early twenties and is so cute and simplistic and - for lack of a better word - hipstery.  I loved it!

Coffee and a bagel with cream cheese and jam at Fixed.

My final favourite meal was on the morning of my last day - Sunday June 16.  K. and I got up early and walked to the nearby Sobey's to get some things for brunch.  We ran into our friends (Erin & Naomi) who were joining us for brunch, so we shopped together, grabbed some coffees to go at Post, and then went back to Garrison Hill to cook.  I made eggs, K. made guacamole, and Naomi made the most outstanding maple bacon.  It was a glorious sunny day out, so the four of us plus Josh and Lauren dined out on their front porch.  It was the perfect final meal for my trip.


#5: Fishers' Loft Inn
The Fishers' Loft Inn in Port Rexton was recommended to me by a few people, but especially my parents who had stayed there when they visited Newfoundland.  Also, they didn't recommend it to me personally, but I know for a fact that Dame Judi Dench and Kevin Spacey stayed there when they were filming The Shipping News.  If it's good enough for Dame Judi, it's good enough for me.

My plan was to spend 48 hours away from St. J's on a little solo trip, and the first night of that was spent at the Fishers' Loft Inn.  I rented a little car in St. John's and took off midday on June 12.  It was a 3-hour drive and very enjoyable.  I arrived at the Inn around 3:30 pm.  It was a beautiful day out, but I was tired from driving and excited for rest, so I decided to lay low and enjoy the Inn.

Along the drive to Port Rexton - blue skies and open road.

The view from my room at the Fishers' Loft Inn.

I was so happy when the first thing that happened was I got upgraded.  I don't know what my original room would've been like - lovely, I'm sure - but my new room was spacious with a stunning view.  The first thing I did was take a long bath while I read.  (I was reading The perks of being a wallflower at that point... I finished two books during this trip).  After my bath I climbed under the covers and napped for an hour.  Heaven!  Then I woke up, showered, got ready, and then went over to the building with the dining room in it and bought a bottle of wine to go with dinner.  But, I had a glass poured before so that I could drink it while sitting on a rocking chair on the porch, reading and staring at the ocean.

The quaint porch at the Fishers' Loft.

View from the porch.

Then dinner.  I chose to include dinner at the Inn with this category instead of with "Food", but this meal tied with Bacalao for the best meals of the trip.  It was a $55 set menu (not including wine), and I was lucky enough to be there for my favourite meal - and likely the best value one - LOBSTER!!!  There was soup to start, then salad, then scrumptious steamed lobster with melted butter, then cheesecake and coffee to finish.  I finished a book during the meal and moved on to another (The Great Gatsby), and just totally treated myself... yet again.

The next day I got up earlyish, and then had a simple breakfast at the Inn, and then packed up and checked out in order to go to the...


#6: Skerwink Trail
This is what brings many people to Port Rexton, and was another big recommendations from my parents and friends.  The Skerwink Trail is a moderate to difficult 5.3 km hike along the coast on high cliffs in many places.  Full of a good breakfast and energized from a great sleep, I was so ready for it.

I hit the trail at about 9:20 am and took my sweet time with it, finishing in about 2 hours.  I might say it was the best part of the whole trip.  The views were spectacular; I took tonnes of photos and soaked it all in myself, too.  I only once saw other people on the trail, and they were way behind me.  The whole time it was majorly quiet; just me, my breath, and my footsteps.  I loved it.

#7: Outside St. John's
So I already mentioned the Fishers' Loft Inn in Port Rexton, and the Bonavista Social Club in Upper Amherst Cove, but I did some other travelling outside St. John's.

After lunch at the Bonavista Social Club, I drove from Upper Amherst Cove to Placentia - a 3-hour drive.  My drive from St. John's to Port Rexton had been novel and exciting; the weather was incredible and I was amped up about it all.  My drive to Placentia, on the other hand, was rainy almost the whole way, and I was tired after a long hike, and just anxious to get there.  Driving is not always that much fun... especially alone.

But I got to Placentia around 4:30 and arrived at the Rosedale Manor, a relatively last-minute decision as I hadn't always planned to stay away two nights.  It was no Fishers' Loft, but it was full of charm.  When I arrived, no one was there, but there was a note to call the owner when I arrived, which I did, and she checked me in over the phone; telling me where to find my room and keys and what all the amenities were.  Very relaxed and a seemingly Newfoundland-esque approach.

I hadn't planned on going out to eat because I'd brought my leftover pizza with me from the Bonavista Social Club, but after a bath (third one!) and some downtime, I felt stir crazy and needed some fresh air and to see a bit of Placentia.  So I walked down the road to the Three Sisters Pub (hilarious! Their website has music!) for a drink and snack.  The service was subpar, but the atmosphere was authentic, and I enjoyed a cold glass of Iceberg there.  I also gave cod tongues a try; they were fine on principle, but despite only trying them for the first time, I don't think Three Sisters prepared them all that well.  Then it was back to the Manor for bed.

After a good night's sleep, I had breakfast at the charming Philip's Cafe; Philip is the husband of Linda, the owner of the Rosedale Manor, and they serve breakfast to guests out of his restaurant.  It was simple, fresh, and clearly homemade.  I was able to check out of the Manor there, too.

And then I was on my way to the...

Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve.  Yet again, this was highly recommended by friends, so I drove the 45 minutes or so from Placentia to Cape St. Mary's to see the birds.  The Ecological Reserve is home to literally thousands of birds, the likes of which you've never seen.  The most obvious - and the ones at the top of the hierarchy - were the Northern Gannets, and they were perched on Bird Rock, flying through the air, and making tonnes of noise.  I was totally transfixed; it was so hard to leave.  It was pretty spectacular!

To be clear, those white specks on the rocks and in the sky are BIRDS!!!  Thousands!

Same with those!  That's called Bird Rock and is covered with birds.

I headed straight back to St. John's after my visit in Cape St. Mary's, and the next morning - my last full day (Saturday June 15) - I went on a whale and bird-watching boat tour with O'Briens.  This was the one item on my itinerary that I hemmed and hawed about, but the prospect of seeing a whale made me go, and I did see a whale so it was worth it.  But, it was the one let-down of my trip.  For what I paid, it just didn't seem to have much value; we did see whales and puffins, but... it just wasn't all that much fun.  I have to blame that mostly on my queasiness on the boat, as well as the obnoxious fellow passengers, and the fact that it was my last day and I would've rather been with K.  BUT I don't regret doing it, and as I said, seeing a whale was pretty darn cool.


#8: Josh & Lauren's
In my blog post about my trip to France, I regret that I didn't dedicate enough attention to the hospitality of my host in Paris: Karen.  When I look back on the trip, that's one of the things I reflect on most: how at home Karen made me feel, how she never made me feel like I was putting her out, how much I enjoyed her company, and how she inspires to be as gracious and as hospitable a host whenever I get the chance to have someone in my home.

In St. John's, I had much the same experience.  As you can tell by now, I stayed with two friends named Josh and Lauren.  I had the pleasure of attending Josh & Lauren's wedding, and the two of them are just so warm and loving and giving, it's palpable.  Staying with them in their home in St. John's was yet another example of that.  They made me feel totally at home, had a fire going and tea brewing when I first arrived, made me feel comfortable, and most importantly, shared their space with K. and I, for which I will always be grateful.  They also cooked for me one night - moose stew, which was incredibly delicious!  And, they were great to spend time with and get to know better.  It was a really wonderful experience.  

Thank you, Josh & Lauren!!!


#9: Kate
Aside from travelling in order to attend the conference, I was also incredibly lucky because my time in Newfoundland was about in the middle of my girlfriend K's 6 weeks there for an opera program.  So, without a doubt, reuniting with her and any time spent with her were highlights of the trip.  We vegged out together, went to restaurants and cafes together, laughed and caught up... it was so nice to be with her.

Thanks to K., I also got to see an opera that her program was putting on: La Traviata.  I'd heard of this opera but knew nothing about it or its story.  It was wonderful!  The production was fantastic, the leads were amazing singers, and the story was so intense and sad.  I love opera, and need to learn more about it.  Thankfully I have the best teacher in K.


#10: Home is where the heart is
And that leads us back to where it always does: home.  My journey home wasn't exactly smooth, but the moment you walk back into your home - especially if you have a cat greeting you there - is always wonderful.  I always say that the best trips are the ones where when they're over, you suddenly feel so ready for home.  I was!  I missed my routine and my bed and my coffee and my cat!!!  But, I have the greatest memories of Newfoundland, and that's what travel is all about.

Halifornia

I went to Halifax last week.  It was a brief business trip - about 48 hours - and it was a really nice experience.

The trip started last Wednesday morning; I cabbed from my apartment to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.  I rarely take cabs in the city but since I had luggage - albeit light - and since it was business, I thought I'd treat myself.  It's too expensive though.  I took the airport shuttle and subway back when I returned to Toronto.

I went to the airport much earlier than I needed to, as I had a conference call placed awkwardly in my day - too close to the flight to wait until after the call to head to the airport... too early to be at the airport to take the call there.  That said, I'm of the "early is never a bad thing" school of thought, plus I love the lounge at the island airport, so early I would be.

Porter refers to its service as Flying Refined, and it really is.  I sped through security and arrived in the lounge with time to spare - enough time to get a coffee, some almonds, and set up shop for my call.

The flight itself was lovely, too.  Tell me - why do I instinctively crave tomato juice on planes?

I got into Halifax around 3:00 pm and was at my hotel - the Westin Nova Scotian - in downtown Halifax by 4:00.  For the record, I am not an extremely experienced traveller and I haven't stayed in a lot of hotels, but I've stayed at the Westin Nova Scotian twice now, and it's the best hotel I've ever been to.  I feel special there.  It's fancy yet not too pricey.  During my stay, I had two delicious breakfasts at their restaurant, Elements; room service for a late dinner, which was a total treat; watched cable in bed on the big screen TV; had a bath; had two glorious sleeps... it was heavenly.  I highly recommend staying there if you get the chance.

The view from my hotel room of the Halifax harbour.

Earlier that day I tweeted that I was going to Halifax and asked the Twitterverse whether anyone had any recommendations for restaurants.  Though I'm not pretentious enough to call myself a foodie (nor do I think the label necessarily fits), y'all know I love food and good restaurants, so I wanted something great.  At least two people recommended The Five Fishermen, so I made a reservation online and around 6:45 pm I walked over.

 

My desire was t ohave a quiet, luxurious, and delicious evening out, and that desire was mostly fulfilled.  They had a table for one near the fireplace ready for me; there was no awkward removal of a second place setting.  Much appreciated.  The Five Fishermen nailed service and ambiance; it was quiet, had a great vibe, and no one made me feel like I was there too long (I was there for two hours).  I had a great time there.  I took my time, had a delicious glass of Nova Scotian wine, ate lots, started a new book (The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb), and deliberately kept iPhone use to a minimum.  However, the disappointing part?  The food!  I know!  Unexpected.  At the time I was totally satisfied, but I think I was full on great dining... not great food.  Maybe my mistake was that I didn't order a main.  I didn't want to spend too much, so I opted for wine + access to the mussel and salad bar ($25) + bread and butter + clam chowder.  The mussels got cold really fast and the cowder was very bland.  I finished with dessert, which was really delicious.  I had coffee and sticky toffee pudding (yum!) with their housemade icecream (YUM!!!).  All in all, it was decadent, but if the food had been better than the rest of the experience..... well, I might not have left Halifax.

Regardless, I was in a coma on the way back to the hotel.  After a bath and a dose of cable, I was out like a light.

My colleague and I met for breakfast at 9:00 and enjoyed delicious eggs Benedict (and he informed me that it was St. Benedict's Day... how about that!).  I then retreated to my hotel room for a few hours of peaceful and quiet work.

Business trips are great, for so many reasons.  I don't have to travel much, so they're still a novelty.  I keep busy enough these days that sometimes I forget I've got a trip coming up, but I really enjoy it.  It's paid travel and related expenses, a break from the routine, a chance to see a different city... but for me it's also an opportunity to slow down.  It's a chance to treat myself, a chance to catch up on emails, a chance to read, a chance to go for walks and see new things, a chance to do work that on any other day might seem tedious, but somehow in a hotel room feels therapeutic... the list goes on.....

I don't know if traveller's guilt has anything to do with Catholic guilt, but I have small cases of both.  I'm grateful for traveller's guilt when it's not too extreme though because despite how lovely a day spent in a hotel room might seem, TG kicks in and I know I've got to get out and do something.



Beautiful Halifax buildings that I saw on my walk to the Citadel.

I did a little searching online and learned about the noontime cannon at the Halifax Citadel.  For at least 100 years they've been firing a cannon at noon to set the city clock by?  Sounds pretty cool to me.  At 11:30 I left my room and walked the very inclined route to Citadel Hill.  I got to the Citadel and it was really cool and quiet; nothing was really open, but a nice staffperson told me a great spot to watch the firing from.  See the video below to see what it was like.  Definitely a good excuse to leave the hotel, and a neat touristy thing to do.  I also learned my iPhone is on perfect GMT.

I walked from there to Pizza Corner (another Twitter recommendation).  I'm not sure if that's the actual name of the joint or if it's just called that because it's a pizza place on the corner.  I was told to try the donair... it was delicious.  Next time I'd like to try a big slice of donair pizza.  Yum!

I walked back to the hotel to rest, work, and get ready for the whole point of my trip - an event on Thursday night.  More work, more TV, more relaxing, a shower, and off I went to the event.

I held the event at the Split Crow.  That's where I held the event last year; it's a popular spot among Dalhousie students and it worked well for what I'm trying to do.  It was a good event this year, too, but I don't think I'll hold it at the SC next year.  The staff was okay but not very accommodating, and sometimes even aggressive.  It was well worth the trip though; it was a great event!

I left the pub earlyish and walked back to the hotel.  Wanna know a secret?  I've never gotten room service!  I have one memory of getting it as a kid - I think - but no vivid memories, and I've definitely never ordered it myself.  Or, at least, I hadn't before... I have now!  I got back from the event and after getting into PJs, I ordered myself a pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries and a pop!  Absolutely divine!  It came on a tray which I sat right on my bed and enjoyed while watching an episode of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon".  Again, heavenly.

Another delicious sleep, and back to Elements for breakfast.  This time, I had eggs, sausage, and homefries.  Then I booked a cab with the concierge, went to my room to pack up, and off I went to the airport.

All in all, a great trip.

Discovering TO #9: Yours Truly

Friday, July 27th was my 3-year anniversary with my girlfriend.  Being that we both love trying out new restaurants, we decided that our gift for each other would be to treat ourselves to a special meal at Toronto Life's #1 rated restaurant of 2012: Yours Truly.  I'd been dying to try out YT, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.  I booked well in advance, and on the big day, I picked up K from work and off we went to Dundas/Ossington to celebrate!

We had a relatively early reservation, but we still arrived in the neighbourhood with over an hour to go, so we started by walking up and down Ossington a bit to see what was going on.  That's when we spotted Bellwoods Brewery, an awesome bar/restaurant/microbrewery.  The spot had such a relaxed, community feel.  There were picnic tables scattered around their patio, and if you were in a group of two, you might just end up sitting with another pair and even get to chatting with them.  K and I kept to ourselves, but I loved the vibe and it having a beer outside was the perfect way to start the evening.

Around 6:00 (I told you it was early), we walked up to Yours Truly for the main event.

The restaurant itself was nice - dim, simple, stylish.  We were seated at a table somewhat cramped in the corner, but it was good enough.

The draw of YT is that they do things so differently.  It's my understanding that they have two dining experiences available - they have two or so seatings of their Yours Truly experience, which is what we took part in.  It's a $45 4-course prix fixe.  The second experience is the Carte Blanche, which is something like 10 courses around $100 all-in.  It was a celebratory day, sure, but we've gotta be fiscally responsible.  So our prix fixe worked like this: you got a menu with a matrix - 4 rows and 3 columns.  Each row represented a course, and each item in the columns was the main ingredient of that course option (all unique and seasonal).  So basically you pick four ingredients, and those are your four courses.  I'm an adventurous diner because I've basically never met a food that I didn't like (except I don't really like cold cuts), so this was a fun and easy experience for me.  I chose lox, bream, chicken, and cheese.  I won't go into detail describing each course, but I will say that each was extremely delicious.  Each course was also extremely creative, consisting of some ingredients that I'd never heard of, and also combinations of ingredients I could've never imagined.  It was the kind of meal where you almost had to close your eyes when you took your first bite of each course, to experience every flavour and let it all roll over your tongue.  It wasn't just about nourishment; it was about a total dining experience, trying new things, and treating ourselves!

One other thing - as if four courses weren't enough, we also enjoyed a signature YT cocktail each (I had the "John Candy" and K had the "Cibelle"), as well as three amuse bouche, which were delicious!


I also want to add that one of my favourite parts of the Yours Truly experience was the service; it was top-notch!  All the servers had clearly bought into the mission of YT in its entirety, fully knowledgeable on every course option, flavour combination, and even the strangest of ingredients.  They were friendly, attentive, and not at all overbearing: my favourite qualities in serving staff.

And that wraps up my 8th edition of "Discovering T.O.".  Let me know if you ever check out Yours Truly and tell me what you think!


Currently reading... In One Person by John Irving
Posts to come... full rc-4 update!

Discovering T.O. #8

Guess what?!  I got an apartment!!!  Yes, ma'am, I gave the super first and last and it's official: I will be moving into my 1-bedroom apartment on September 1st.  Closest intersection?  Yonge & Eglinton.  I'm a happy camper!

In other news, I continue to discover Toronto and love to tell you about it.  Here's what I did yesterday:

After a good night out in the Village on Saturday evening, a girl craves a delicious brunch, and that's what I got on Sunday at noon.  My GF & I had never been to Lady Marmalade in Leslieville, but she heard it was great, so we headed east to check it out.  It was as good as they say!  Very unique atmosphere, not too long a wait (but a long enough line that you know it's worth waiting), relatively quick and attentive service, and - the most important part - DELICIOUS food.  I checked in on FourSquare when I got there and many of the tips recommended the bacon, brie, and avocado eggs Benedict.  Being a huge eggs benny fan myself, I had to go with it, and it was divine!  It came with a small serving of potatoes and a delicious side salad.  I also discovered the merits of tomato juice as my beverage.  I really wanted a Caesar, but they weren't licensed, so I took a straight up TJ instead.  Yummy!  Would go back to LM in a second.

**Note: Lady Marmalade is cash only.

From there we headed to Cherry St. to the launch to the Royal Canadian Yacht Club to spend the afternoon on the island.  We wandered around the RCYC for a bit and then headed from there to Centre Island to do some exploring.  As we walked along to the "main drag", we saw tonnes of people on two-seated quadricycles peddling around.  It looked like so much fun and they all looked so happy, so we rushed to get our own.  For $17 you got the quadricycle for an hour, and it was just as fun to ride as it looked.  We biked for the full hour, sharing steering privileges and stopping once to get on some swings we drove by.  It was a blast!  I kept saying, it seemed like exactly the way a person is meant to spend a Sunday in the summer in Toronto.  Now that I'm officially a resident of the city, that's exactly what I want to be doing!!!  After biking, we went and dipped our feet into the wading pool/fountain, lay on the grass, climbed a tree, and then headed back to the clubhouse for a bite, which was perfect timing as it started pouring rain.  Around 5:30 we headed back to the mainland and wrapped up the night with some TV time.

Another fabulous time discovering T.O.